hegemony

 

Incas, Aztecs, Spain, they all

Had it once and could walk tall

Belgium, France, the Portuguese

All suffered from the same disease,

Explore, invade, exploit and capture

Others’ lands sent them to rapture.

“Free” land, and cheap stuff could all be had

For local folk t’was very bad.

In 1600 it got real bumpy

Enter now the E.I.C.

The East India Company.

Wealthy Brits with cash to spare

Sponsored trips to here and there.

India, their first port of call

English goods for one and all,

And in return, tea and spice

Global trade, a neat device.

Biz was good, that’s for sure,

As merchants did their trips insure.

Lloyds of London born 1686

Underwrote this risky biz.

But E.I.C. it wanted more

Set up an army to ensure

It’s business there it could endure.

With massive wealth now pouring in

The Brits at home now grew this thing

America, Ceylon, West Africa too

Joined “the club” and Empire grew.

Stealing lands and clever trading

Saw it become one powerful nation.

Free land, cheap goods, what a ride!

New merchant ventures they were inspired.

Free labour, this trade was next

Sure it left enslaved folk vexed

But plantation owners felt much glee

Buying slaves, then labour free.

Breed the slaves and more free workers

Overseers employed to whip the shirkers.

Empire logic for Brits was great

Steal and take; expropriate.

This went on for centuries

The most egregious sleaze.

Awash with cash the next solution

Inventions; Industrial Revolution.

Steam power, trains and textile mills

Automation giving owners’ thrills

Output up, costs go down.

Workers moving into towns.

Poverty and many slums

But hey, who cares if means more funds.

Business moved into a higher gear

As insatiable appetites did appear

The need for markets to sell more stuff

Adverts help, but not enough.

Many mergers, buy-outs too

Companies grow, products new.

Despite this growth they wanted more

“Consume, consume” became the call.

Buy this, buy that, the Sirens sing

Marketing comes to sell more things.

Itchy feet, bad breath, greasy hair

We'll sell you stuff because we care.

Powered, first by coal and then by oil.

Industry makes its daily toil

Now “Free trade” becomes the shout

Easier to move goods about

“Economic Union” became the aim

Expanding markets was the game.

TVs, cars, it’s all the same

Focus on financial gain.

But has it worked? Just look around.

Its impact has been most profound.

Rich getting richer, rents rising every week

Inflation rising; more expensive just to eat;

Incomes which are stagnant; can’t afford to heat,

Looks very much to me, a one-way street.

Fly London-Sydney in just twenty hours

But what of lakes, trees and flowers?

Of birds and bears, fish and whales?

Have we gained or have we failed?

Is making stuff the best way forward?

is this a future we we can afford?

How much stuff do we need,

With starving folk who need to feed?

Consumption of the world’s resources

Our future path just reinforces.

Enough’s enough! We needs proclaim

And Nature’s hegemony reclaim.